The Next Circle of Hell

waves to Erinbee and wishes happy landings to all on sub!

My agent's gotten word back to me that she's thisclose to working something out for the continuation of the series in my signature. Three more books? Yes, please!

Good luck to all those on sub, and yay to Jessica!

My book deal's due to be announced soon. I want to write a blog post for if / when people google my name (ya know, the 2 people that will ;-) I want to avoid a plain old 'I have a book deal!' post as that's where Twitter and FB come in. A blog post needs to be meatier. Any advice? I could go down the 'how I got published, the key is not giving up' kinda post. Or more about what inspired my novel? Or something else entirely. If you have advice or seen any interesting things from authors who just got book deals, would appreciate your thoughts!

Trixie, I find that just learning a little bit of history of how the book came about and then its process of discovery by the agent/publisher is really exciting stuff. Success stories are contagious and uplifting for other writers.

Looking forward to that blog post. Be sure to announce it in Goals and Accomplishments.

tri

Great advice, Tri, thanks!

Good luck to you guys on sub! Fingers crossed for everyone!

Sweet deal, Jessica!

Ooh, Trixie! The two types of "success stories" that seem to thrill people (or maybe just me?) are perseverance stories and "the call" stories. I've also seen some pretty intense stories of inspiration, for more difficult books or ones that required massive rewrites that ended up creating bigger, better books.



And I'm on sub again for my Night Runner series. I drafted two other novels while I was supposed to be writing this sequel because it just wasn't working, and while I'm not concerned that the pub might have reservations due to the gap in release dates (although they could have contracted me with a deadline), I think it's a much stronger book for having marinated as long as it did. Would appreciate crossed fingers!

Good luck, Hillary!

Hey guys, I wonder if you might have some advice on my situation. So today I emailed my agent for the third time to check in since he sent me the submission list in late May, the last I heard from him. So I'm crossing fingers to hear something back but am also facing the potential that I might get silence.

**EDITED**

I deleted what I had previously posted here about my editor workshop dilemma. I just visited my agency's website, and it looks like my agent has left the company (even though he was president). Also, on his Twitter profile, his agency's name and URL no longer appear. My contract was with the agency, not with him, so I guess I need to get in touch with him and find out what this means. It might sound odd, but what a huge relief! At least I've got a reason for the silence now and can take some next steps.

So sorry to hear this, (((Quickbread))). But glad you can find some closure in this and move on.
How completely unprofessional of him!!!

Thanks, guys! I already heard back from the remaining partner, and he said he'd release me from the contract immediately if I wanted that. He doesn't rep ghost stories so isn't interested in this novel but said he'd be happy to consider representing anything else from me. Which doesn't help me now.

I feel great actually -- excited to find a more responsive agent this time around, which I now realize I need. Upon further investigation, it looks like my agent has left agenting altogether to become more of a book packager/marketer. I'd have to agree his skills are not in the client service area, so this is a much better fit for him, and it frees me to find a better fit, too.

I have to contact him directly for my submission details, though. And we all know how that's been turning out. Wish me luck!

That's tough, Quickbread. And it sucks that you had to find out this way. But, I can't help but think that this is a good thing for you. Onward and upward!

Kudos to you, Quickbread, for making the best of a crappy situation. I'm glad you are feeling good about it, and I'm wishing you all the luck moving forward! If one agent liked your work, another will too.

I can feel your upward trajectory, Quickbrad. Good for you for making the most of this opportunity.

Yes, you're much better off, Quickbread. Crazy the agent didn't let you know he was leaving! Which speaks volumes really. Good luck with the new agent search!

Thanks, you guys!

Turns out he and his partner only made a transition plan for clients whose works he's sold. Nice, huh?

I told the remaining partner that my agent had failed to provide any details about submissions, and he agreed to release me from any contract obligations. Which I take to mean that even if one of the initial editors offers a deal via a future agent, he won't ask for a commission.

So do any of you guys know what officially happens if the agent agrees to terminate the contract? Is it simply an email stating so or does it require some kind of signed release documentation? I don't want to push the goodwill of this partner by being overly demanding because he's being considerate, responsive and forthcoming. I also don't want to leave myself uncovered since I'm still hoping this manuscript will sell.

Quickbread said:

I told the remaining partner that my agent had failed to provide any details about submissions, and he agreed to release me from any contract obligations. Which I take to mean that even if one of the initial editors offers a deal via a future agent, he won't ask for a commission.

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I'm sure that's correct, but the other concern is with a new agent taking the manuscript out without knowing whether it's already been sent to houses s/he wants to approach. Did the agency confirm that the manuscript hasn't been submitted anywhere?

Quickbread said:

So do any of you guys know what officially happens if the agent agrees to terminate the contract? Is it simply an email stating so or does it require some kind of signed release documentation? I don't want to push the goodwill of this partner by being overly demanding because he's being considerate, responsive and forthcoming. I also don't want to leave myself uncovered since I'm still hoping this manuscript will sell.

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I think I missed part of your ordeal, but do you have an executed paper contract on hand? If so, does it have a specific termination clause? Regardless, I would ask for something in writing stating that both parties are released from all obligations and liabilities, with a date. Just to be on the safe side?

Thanks, Hillary. The partner said he can't help me with hunting down the submission status, and also that he can't make my agent respond if he's not responding. Sigh. I have an opportunity coming in a couple of weeks to ask one of the editors on the submission list in person. So she may have some advice for me on how to track down the status.

I do have a paper contract, but the termination clause doesn't cover this particular scenario. It contains the usual 30-day notice portion plus things like bankruptcy and agency closure. And you're the second person to suggest something in writing. The first person was a lawyer friend of mine. So I'll do that.

This ordeal probably sounds like quite a drama to have followed, but boy have I learned a ton. What a great education it has been. Really.

I have a couple rights reversion letters that were sent by email, and I've used these as proof that I'm currently the rights holder. I've never been asked for hard-copy, signed documentation.

tri

It sounds like those were official letters. That's maybe more official and intentional than a one-line email saying "I'll release you", which is what I've gotten from this partner. I'm thinking I should CYA on this one with a termination letter. It's worth an hour or so of an attorney's time I think.

Yes, they were officially worded, only a paragraph or so long. But I took that to mean they could be used as legitimate proof. A simple "I release you" doesn't seem to cover as much as you'd like. I would politely ask for a more detailed/official version, naming names, locations, dates, titles of books, author's name and such things.

tri

I did ask and he said to just save a copy of his email. He said he'd sign a letter if I provided it. In this case where things have gone pretty unprofessionally after my initial signing and revision processes, I'll cough up the money for something well-crafted in my interests.

To be honest, QB, if they've given you an email, I'd rely on that. I've discovered that things in this bizness are really, really informal (despite the lengthy detailed contracts). If it says they release you, that should be enough for any other agent.

Peggy, yeah, I think you're right about potential agents accepting an email release statement. I'm more concerned about making a clean break so the first agency/agent can't come back around if the manuscript sells. It might seem a bit anal but the agency's been pretty unprofessional. I don't even have a copy of my contract. Know what I mean?